Agustinus Bajo, Literacy for Youth in Inland Sikka

Kornelis Kewa Ama

· 6 minutes read

The education of the children of Bloro village, Nita district, Sikka regency, East Nusa Tenggara, which had been neglected, opened the eyes and heart of Agustinus Bajo. He is dedicated to the children’s literacy and education from preschool to junior high school, and to help them excel at school.

At the end of 2016, Bajo was a daily witness to the neglected children of Bloro village. The children loitered in the village every afternoon and holiday, playing until late at night, and even doing things that displeased the community – even though they are the future leaders of the villages and districts of Sikka.

"I was concerned about the situation. However, [I did not know] how to help them. At that time, I saw some old newspapers and magazines scattered on the living room table, bedroom and sitting chairs in my house. I collected these old newspapers and magazines. They number in the 70\'s," Bajo, a freelance writer for a number of local newspapers and journals, said on Sunday (30/6/2019) in Maumere.

Given the situation, he felt he had to help the children. The younger generation must be ready to anticipate the rapidly developing technology of today for the future. Otherwise, they would experience the same fate as their parents.

This concern prompted him to form the Pondok Literasi (literacy cottage; PL) Pang Bisa Ngaisiang for children and youth. Bajo said that libraries and reading areas did not need to be a grand building, and that it was more important that such spaces should offer broad knowledge to children.

It did not take long for Bajo to establish the small library in February 2017. He turned the 2-by-6 meter terrace of his house in Bloro village into a library. The terrace is now equipped with bookshelves, two desks and three long benches. Bajo set up the space himself, with the two bookshelves provided by a member of the Sikka Legislative Council (DPRD).

Today, around 68 children ranging in age from early childhood (PAUD) to elementary (SD) and to junior high school (SMP) participate in the library’s various activities. On a typical day, they read and study from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. under Bajo’s supervision. If he is unavailable, his wife, Theresia Hingi Lewar, an elementary education (PGSD) graduate, leads the reading activity.

Over time, Bajo added more reading materials to the library. He did not hesitate to visit offices and schools to gather old books and magazines. Some books are worn and torn, but they are still readable. They were all arranged with the existing reading materials in the “literacy cottage” on his terrace, and now total 100 titles.

"I do not dare hiring anyone because there is no money to pay them – unless there are people who want to volunteer in the afternoon at the library. However, no one is willing, even though there are five university graduates without jobs who live in the village," said Bajo, who is also a civil servant (PNS) at the Sikka Religious Affairs Office.

Challenges

The children do not only read at the “literacy cottage”. They also learn to write and count. They participate in group discussions over school materials. They are grouped according to their education levels – early childhood, elementary and junior high. Each group is again divided according to grade level. Some parents accompany their children, especially the children in early childhood.

Bajo and his wife schedule the groups so that all grades have equal opportunity. If a particular grade has homework, the group will be given a special schedule in the afternoon. All students can use the library to study.

Bajo always asks after the children\'s results on school test. Before the Pang Bisa Ngaisiang library was established, most elementary and junior high school students scored low on their tests and exams, in the 3-6 range. However, after they joined the library’s activities, their scores started improving. In fact, the children who previously scored below 6 became more studious and were able to achieve satisfactory scores.

"Math is one of the children’s most feared subjects. However, since they started receiving guidance at the library, their scores have continued to rise. Not just in math, but in almost all subjects. They are highly enthusiastic about studying. If the library has no scheduled activities, they still come to study on their own," said Bajo.

However, Bajo’s efforts to provide the best education for the children did not always go smoothly. When the literacy cottage was first established, the terrace was exposed to the rain, and most of the books became wet. So, at the end of 2017, Bajo tried to build a more proper space using wood and bamboo. The finished structure, which measures 4-by-6 meters, is located next to thishe house. The damp books were laid out to dry and then displayed in the new room.

Bajo faced another problem. Many of the books he provided were not suited to the children’s needs, and he knew that interesting books could help the children develop their reasoning skills.

So Bajo submitted a proposal to a literacy foundation in Surabaya, which responded by donating 70 children\'s books, such as folktale collections and old children’s magazines. There were also biographies on people who had succeeded in various fields, like inventors, entrepreneurs, scientists and economists.

With the larger number of interesting books, the children became even more excited about coming to the library. They read the books in turns, and some even copied the books to take home or to read at school.

Another problem that arose was that the children found it difficult to understand the subject of a book – and not just elementary and junior high school students, but also senior high school students.

To overcome this, Bajo asked each child to get a notebook and write notes on what they read. Some copied the contents of what they read, while others tried to describe, in their own words, what they had read. In this way, gradually they began to understand and digest the materials.

Bajo is happy. Ten of the elementary and junior high school students who attended his “literacy cottage” have graduated with passing scores. In fact, some of them got the top scores in the district on their national exams.

"In the future, I want to buy a laptop, install an internet network and cable television. This would take some real money. I’ve set aside my civil servant salary for this initiative, [and] it might take another 2-5 years," he said.

Agustinus Bajo

Born: Nita, Sikka regency, 29 April 1970

Education: Master of Arts in Theology, Ledalero Catholic Philosophy Institute (STFK), Maumere

Wife: Theresia Hingi Lewar

Children: Rio (19), Johan (17), Feby (10)

Occupation: Civil servant, Sikka Religious Affairs Office

Editor:

Literacy kompascetak agustinus bajo